Lose Yourself the Second
by Cerridwen Aerin Ellorin
Summary: Second to Lose Yourself the First (read it in the FF8 fanfic collection). A/U. What happens if 3 Norns mess with the storyline and has all the heroes and heroines mixed up?! Cloud + Rinoa. R/R please!


Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX. This is just a by-product of an overworked and over-harrassed writer suffering from insatiable lunacy. Comments, suggestions, praises are very highly appreciated. Oh, and be forewarned: this fic includes a little bit of Rinoa Heartilly and Tifa Lockhart bashing. Read on at your own risk. Second of a triptych of stories, i.e. they're supposed to be read simultaneously at once…I mean, they're happening all at the same time…^^;; This is what happens when every deity in Asgard gets loony courtesy of good old Loki. Let's get ready to rumble!

…it all happened in slow motion.

Loki tripped, his eyes becoming widely circular. Verdandi, Urdur, and Skuld could only watch with their mouths agape as the 3 CD cases flew through the air and were about to be shattered. In the ensuing confusion that followed (due to the fact that they were high on lotus puree), the 3 Norns shrieked and there was a brilliant flash of light.

And the rest, as they say, was…uh…HISTORY.

Lose Yourself the Second

(aka Cloud Strife + Rinoa Heartilly)

Rinoa Heartilly was frowning as she looked through her closet.

"Hey, you done yet?"

"Not yet. But SOON." Rinoa threw her hands up in the air. "What am I to wear to that Balamb Garden graduation ball?! I can't find ANY outfit to look really elegant and good IN!"

"Why don't you wear that outfit that you almost gave your father a heart attack?"

"Oh, THAT. Well…"

"Look, Princess, you're just going there to make a proposition to Cid Kramer, not charm all the guys like a singing Siren on the rocks. We HAVE to get the Garden's help. That mayor is getting fishier and fishier all the TIME."

"…but we can't REALLY say no to that WHITE outfit…"

"WATTS!"

"I have to look my ABSOLUTE best." Rinoa searched through her closet again. "Oh well, it IS a social. Then I guess the white outfit wouldn't HURT."

"What….?! Miss Rinoa, are you planning to charm off the pants of ANY newly graduated SeeD that happens to look your WAY?! We HAVE to TALK to Cid Kramer FIRST before the SeeD could actually HELP us!"

"It helps when we show them that we mean BUSINESS," Rinoa said, grabbing the white outfit off the hanger and parading in front of the mirror with it before her.

"Yeah, we mean really serious FLIRTING business…" someone muttered outside her room.

"ZONE!"

"How can you expect guys to take you seriously when ALL the time they're staring at your little DRESS…?!"

"They will, I tell you. They WILL." Rinoa smiled.

"Should I do a _chignon_ or should I just let my hair down?"

Rinoa was preening herself in the car mirror for the umpteenth time when Zone parked the car right in front of the Balamb Garden.

"12 o'clock tonight, or ELSE we'll ALL turn into PUMPKINS," Zone muttered.

"Yeah!" Rinoa smiled then gave him a pat on the head. "Don't look so serious now, Zone, we'll get the SeeD's help." 

"…I know. It's just that…well…"

"Alrighty!" Rinoa went out of the car then smiled at him again. "Ready the bubbly when I get back, OK? I want it all warm and SOFT."

"OK." Zone nodded. "Good luck."

Rinoa got her little white bag then made sure if her skirt didn't quite reach her hip line. Then she walked off into the Garden steps, careful to give every guy who happened to look her way her winning 300,000 watt smile.

Zone sweatdropped then drove out of sight. It just didn't help when he still had to return to the train and make Rinoa's bubbly all warm and soft.

Starting with the lavender bath mix.

Rinoa was practically skipping when she went through the main entrance. Several guys had already given her appreciative looks, and at least 3 of them asked for her home number.

***_Hee hee! The Heartilly charm ALWAYS reels them IN! I'll get the SeeD's help, I WILL! Then I would DEFINITELY be FREE!_***

***_Free…? Free, you say…?_***

Rinoa blinked. Was that somebody doing that telepathy thingy in her head? Was it a guy…? Hopelessly in LOVE with HER?

***_Geezly CRIPES! You ALWAYS think of MEN all the time. You definitely need to get a life, FREE from distractions._***

"What?!" Rinoa asked loudly.

"SSSSHHHHH~~~~!!!" The ushers said loudly back.

***_Look, whoever you ARE, you're making my grand entrance fall APART! I have to be FREE of this burden by midnight then we'll get that MAYOR!_*** Rinoa thought angrily.

***_Alright, I can SEE that, you don't have to YELL at me. But what the heck do I CARE, you'll only make me want to go dunk myself inside a HUGE barf bag if I let you go past beyond this point. Pointing at the shooting star so flirtatiously is just so GROSS~~~!!!_***

"I'm NOT pointing at ANY shooting STAR!"

"Hey, are you blind, we're in a 'silence please' zone!" another usher told her, looking mutinous. "The graduation ball is underway…!"

"Which way to the ball?" Rinoa asked uncertainly.

"Right this way, miss. And we'll appreciate it if you don't talk to yourself VERY loud."

Rinoa practically ran to the dance floor. This was definitely UNCOOL.

Well, hearing voices nobody could hear is a serious thing, even in the wizarding world.

Now where the HECK did she read that line AGAIN?

***_NO! You're not going anywhere Miss Flirty Pants! I'll stop you and put an end to your MADNESS!_***

"If you THINK I'll not be able to get to ANY guy in this room to save me, then you're WRONG!" Rinoa hissed.

A couple of people stared at her as she passed, whispering among themselves that there was a crazy woman on board the graduation ball. 

***_HA! You think you could get past a GODDESS?! We shall SEE about THAT! You'll regret arguing with ME!_***

There was a brilliant flash of light. Rinoa blinked, thinking that it was a humongous camera flashing her way, ready to post her up in _Timber Maniacs Antiques Edition_.

FFFFLLLLLLLOOOOOOOMMMMMPPPPP.

"Hey, Tifa, another order PLEASE~~~!!!"

Rinoa blinked. A roly-poly guy was staring at her, blinking, his mouth agape at the sight of her little white dress.

"What?!" Rinoa was aghast. Where was SHE?! What was this dingy little shack…where are the MEN?!

ANYBODY?!

"…" A gloved hand was suddenly thrust in front of her, handing her a flower.

"Uh…I bought this for you. I hope you like it."

Rinoa blinked again. A tall guy was right in front of her, blinking his blue eyes at her. His hair was all spiky, but hey, at LEAST he looks half-human.

Rinoa smiled uneasily and promptly fainted.

"Whatcha do to her, spikeass?" Barrett Wallace (I stand corrected again HERE! ^^;;) asked with one mutinous growl.

Cloud Strife blinked. "Maybe…she doesn't like flowers…?" 


End file.
